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I don’t have any New Year’s Resolutions.  I bet it’s because I’ve never been around too many people who actually follow through with these annual promises.

The way I see it:
Resolutions are basically these commitments that get the boot once the 1/1 hangover kicks in.  I already have plenty of commitments that I don’t see through…keeping secrets, showing up to surprise parties on time,  feeding my fish, flushing the toilet, etc…  Look, I’m not gonna be a bump on the log this year or anything.  I just like to set goals instead.  Goals are challenges.  I really dig a good challenge – like playing the team with the red jerseys in little league basketball that randomly had an eleventh grader. See, I’m more likely to lose 10 pounds this year if I call it a goal rather than a resolution.  Check it:

RESOLUTION, something you see through
GOAL, something you score!

RESOLUTION, I promise to flush the toilet
GOAL, I challenge myself to flush the toilet

RESOLUTION, I plan to lose 10 pounds this year
GOAL, I challenge myself to not have donuts and steak in my mouth at the same time

Goals sound cooler and, hey, I like to accomplish stuff.  Let’s face it, No Child Left Behind didn’t hook up me up with the ammo to execute daily conversation with the accuracy of a Jane Austen character, but I’m pretty sure it’s grammatically impossible to accomplish a resolution.  Just sayin’…

Here are some of my musical goals for 2010…

Last year I put up a total of four cabaret shows.  This year, I CHALLENGE myself to do six. The NYC cabaret circuit is something I’ve really grown to dig.  I’ve grown to dig it so much, that I’ve started my own cabaret series to promote the works of new theatre writers. The Name N Lights Cabaret Series is always on the lookout for new voices in theatre writing, so don’t be afraid to give us a holler if you want in.

Although these one-shot cabaret style concerts are a load of fun, it sure has been a long time since I’ve run a show.  There are an endless amount of magical things involved with running a show, but my favorite thing to experience is watching a random group of people grow into a family over the course of read-thru to closing night – AND it doesn’t end there.  We theatre people know that the relationships made during a run can last a lifetime, on and offstage.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who got to know their best friend doing a Larry Shue play.  Point: Whether it be a limited run in a hot Manhattan space or a three act opera performed for my roommate and my stuffed animals, I CHALLENGE myself to run something this year.

I got my gigging legs early on. Starting around the age of 11, I rocked the bass all around the San Antonio blues circuit with my buddy/guitar genius Will Owen-Gage. We’d gig so much that our instruments became extensions of our bodies and the tunes we played became instinctual parts of our vocabularies. After a while, I started playing with my own groups.  I tried my hand at band leading, arranging for all different types of live combo music, and sitting on what ever instrument I could learn.  Looking back on all that, I realize how live music making came to me so organically. I took a long break once I started writing theatre but I think it’s about time to get back into all that lovely craziness.  This year, I CHALLENGE myself to start an awesome band and play some rockin’ gigs.

I’ve got a lot to accomplish this year and I bet you do to.  Let’s get right to it, yeah?

I’ve got so much crap to do…and I’m sure you do too. That’s the thing about New York City. Always: you were suppose to be somewhere 20 minutes ago, there’s an insane show tonight that you can’t get to, you have no money, rent is due, bills have to be paid, your toilet is all screwed up, and the G train sucks. With all of that going on, it’s good to take a moment and reflect on what you’ve accomplished this year. I’ll go first – 4 cabaret shows, 3 film scores, 2 moves, and 1 World Series victory. Okay, so maybe Matsui and crew get the nod for that last one…but hey, not bad. Now you go…. Cool, give yourself a pat on the back.

2010 is just around the corner. We want to get a lot of stuff done, right? Here’s the deal:

Recently, I got a hold of a journal I kept during my first year of high school. I was amazed to see how active I was and how many different things I saw through, wholly. I wrote my first musical that year. I conducted an orchestra for the first time. I wrote my first ballet – and it actually got performed!
It’s understood that I was 14 and not every project was platinum, but the important thing is that I was finishing things – A lot of things. This city is full of fantastic distractions but I’m not gonna blame my decrease in productivity on east coast babes and sweet local jazz. How do we achieve our goals and still get to do all the cool stuff that the city has to offer? Some advice I got from my orchestra director in high school… write your goals down. What is it that you want to get done today? This week? This month? Cross that stuff off as you dominate it. It worked for me back then, and hey, I bet it will work now. Kick your goals in the face and then treat yourself to an evening out at the Bowery Ballroom, Birdland, or maybe just a nice sugar kick at Dunkin Donuts. They just reopened the one by my apartment. I’m all about that.

I arrived in NYC in Sept of 2008 with nothing but a suitcase and a guitar. I did my fair share of moving along with the tide in ‘09 and I am extremely fortunate to have made some rockin’ friendships and experienced some killer musical fusion. I did my best to improvise in 2009, but 2010 is going to be all about clobbering some goals. I’ll be setting those in the next entry. What are some of your goals for 2010? Talk it up!